Authors: A. A. SHAMANIN, researcher of the plant growing laboratory, L. A. POPOVA, candidate of economic sciences, senior researcher of the plant growing laboratory, V. V. GINTOV, candidate of economic sciences, director, Primorsky branch of the Federal Research Center for Integrated Arctic Research name after academician N. P. Laverov of RAS – Arkhangelsk Research Institute of Agriculture (10 Lugovoi, 163032, Arkhangelsk region, Primorsky district; phone: 8 (8182) 25-47-36, 8 911 556-05-49, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Keywords: feed crops, introduction, feed production, perennial grasses, species, varieties, agrocenoses, chemical composition, yield, protein, exchange energy.
Abstract: In conditions of Northern region where livestock is fully provided with feed, there is a substantial deficit of vegetable protein in animal rations. This is due to the predominance feeds of low and medium protein content and using a very limited variety of species in the feed crop production. The issue of growing good quality feed crops in enough quantity can be solved by widening the species composition of cultivated feed plants. The purpose of this article was to study the rare species and cultivars of feed crops for formation of high-quality feed agrophytocenosis in the Northern region of Russia. The novelty of this study was in assessment of forage crops on the adaptation degree of adaptability to new growing conditions. The practical value of the results is the introduction of feed crops that optimally combining the adaptive and productive properties. Their introduction is necessary for widening species diversity of feed crops, strengthening the feed base of livestock and increase the fertility of agricultural landscapes in the Northern region of Russia. In the course of this study, a different reactions of the studied feed crops relatively to the growing conditions was revealed. The most adaptive and highly productive feed crops were selected. Tra- ditional perennial basic gramineae and fabaceae are usually used for formation of feed agrophytocenosis. During two years of study, the Eastern „Pridonskaya“ fescue was selected as the most productive feed crops among the rare gramineae. This species was bred by Voronezh Research Institute of Agriculture. In the first year the total yield green mass of this species was 51 t/ha. In the second year the total yield of dry mass was 12.1 t/ha, and 32 t/ha and 6.2 t/ha respectively. Trifolium praténse „Korifei“ (bred by FSUE „Kotlasskoe“) was selected as the most efficient feed crop among fabaceae. Its total yield in the first year was 50 t/ha of green mass and 6.1 t/ha of dry mass. In the second year there was 40 t/ha of green mass and 7.7 t/ha of dry mass.
